The Dallas Cowboys are keeping another one of their own in free agency again by agreeing to a contract with safety and leading tackler Donovan Wilson.
Wilson and the Cowboys agreed to a $24 million, three-year deal, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Tuesday.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because contracts can’t be finalized until NFL free agency officially opens Wednesday. Teams were allowed to start negotiating with their own players Monday.
Wilson rose from a sixth-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2019 to a starter in his second season. The 28-year-old started all 17 games last season and led NFL safeties with five sacks, tying Bill Bates’ 1984 club record for the position.
The agreement with Wilson continues a trend of the Cowboys preferring to keep their own free agents on long-term deals over players from other teams.
Defensive end Dorance Armstrong and cornerbacks Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis are among the recent draft picks to get second contracts on the Dallas defense.
The Cowboys brought linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, their 2018 first-round pick, back on a one-year deal last season and could re-up with him again.
Wilson was limited to nine games in 2021 with groin, chest and shoulder injuries as the Cowboys returned to the playoffs following a two-year absence.
With Dallas emerging as a playoff contender again last season, Wilson was a key member of a defense that carried the Cowboys to a 4-1 record when quarterback Dak Prescott missed five games early with a broken thumb.
The Cowboys tied for third in the NFL with 54 sacks, their most since 2008. Dallas beat Tampa Bay 31-14 in a wild-card game before falling 19-12 to San Francisco in the club’s NFL-record seventh consecutive divisional-round loss.
